As those of us who live in America celebrate Independence Day on the 4th of July, it causes me to pause and reflect on the bravery of those who have preserved our freedoms through service in the military as well as those who protect us here at home by serving as First Responders.
My encouragement to those of us who have leadership influence is that during this week let’s each find one or more ways to honor our military or first responders.
Here are several random ideas for how we can each do so:
Stop by the local fire station, walk in the main entrance and simply say to the person(s) you meet, “My family and I simply want to say thank you for protecting us.”
Alternately, do the same thing at your local police station or Sheriff Office.
If you are in a restaurant and see a member of the military or a first responder, quietly connect with your server and pick up the tab for them. If they notice before you leave, simply tell them, “It is the least I could do. Thank you.”
Alternately, do the same thing at a local coffee shop…consider letting the barista handle the communication so there is no possibility of miscommunicating the intent of your message
Write a short Letter to the Editor of your local newspaper and express your gratitude for our service men/women and or first responders.
You may also enjoy viewing a video we produced for the Stronger Families organization, a non-profit that has been devoting considerable effort to serve our military and First Responder families. You can do so by clicking here.
These are simple and somewhat random ideas. The idea here is to reflect on the opportunity that the 4th of July celebration affords us to express our gratitude to those who serve and protect us. Feel free to share your own ideas in the comment section, below.